Azerbaijan Extinct and Endangered Species

As of July 31st, 2014, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ lists 27 endangered and 18 critically endangered species in AZERBAIJAN (discover more about Azerbaijan with my post). The IUCN Red List declares that 1 species formerly on the Red List has been extinct in the wild. Beloribitsa (Stenodus leucichthys) fish were found in the Caspian Sea before dam construction along the Terek, Ural, and Volga rivers destroyed the species' spawning grounds. While the fish no longer exist in the wild, they are still alive in hatcheries. On the critically endangered list in Azerbaijan are lizards (Phrynocephalus horvathi and Pleske's Racerunner, Eremias pleskei), a mussel (Dreissena caspia), several sturgeon species (Great, Persian, Russian, Stellate, and Thorn Sturgeon) and birds (Slender-Billed Curlew, Snow Crane, and Sociable Plover). Visit this IUCN link for Azerbaijan to find more information about species on the Red List.